Recent Posts

2426

General Software Discussion / Re: Directory Opus 9

« Last post by zridling on April 11, 2007, 10:12 PM »

MrCrispy, Directory Opus is an advanced file manager. By that I mean it will do just about anything you can throw at it, if you're willing to study it. It's that good. When 9 arrives, download a trial and use it for a couple of weeks. It might grow on you. I've found that xplorer2 users really, really like their file manager and it's difficult to get them to switch.

2427

General Software Discussion / Re: Directory Opus 9

« Last post by zridling on April 11, 2007, 10:09 PM »

So far I've only found three companies that honored their "lifetime" licenses — WinRAR, XYplorer, and UltraEdit so far. Everyone else finds an out by either changing the name of the program or just discontinuing it. SlySoft recently added new features to their AnyDVD program and went back to users who bought Lifetime licenses to ask for $30 to get the new features. I got pissed at that.

I don't begrudge a company — or anyone — going to the bank. I truly believe developers ought to be able to make a living from their software, even if it's smallware, as long as it's good. I figure GPSoft has sold enough licenses to DOpus over eight versions that they know what users will pay, and what they think the program is worth. Unfortunately, DOpus is one of the most cracked programs online anymore. Still this version 9 looks like it will take full advantage of Vista. Wondering if they'll consider a 65-bit version? (64-bit is so 2007)  

2428

General Software Discussion / Re: Directory Opus 9

« Last post by zridling on April 11, 2007, 09:54 PM »

Wow, great find Ken! I counted at least a dozen features that Directory Opus either copied or is finally catching up to XYplorer 5.x on. Wonder if they read the Forum and study the XYplorer betas? $50 (which is probably $40 USD) is a lot compared to XYplorer's Lifetime license, small size, portability, XML settings, System integration, etc. Like Darwin, I bought DOpus 6, skipped 7, and spent another $90 buying everything I wanted for version 8. They really should sell just one complete version. If they want to modularize it, then fine, but start with the portable/micro version and go up, rather than extracting features that should be part of every copy. (I say this because it makes for unfair comparisons with other file managers.)

Directory Opus is one of those programs that are so addictive that it really makes Windows a lot of fun. I spend the majority of my day among the browser, text editor, and file manager.

2429

Living Room / Why Linux is better

« Last post by zridling on April 11, 2007, 04:02 AM »

Here's one argument, and an honest one to boot (see the bottom of the page for reasons to stick with and/or dual-boot Windows).

2430

Living Room / Re: Microsoft is Dead

« Last post by zridling on April 11, 2007, 03:55 AM »

Paul's article was definitely written to be techmemed. However, Microsoft has not had a good decade. Sure it's had successes, but its stock continues to take a beating, Vista can't be called "secure" by any measure now (with five "critical" updates in the first 9 days of April already), Office 2007 floundering, Zune is a bust, Xbox is great, but still losing cash, MS-OOXML is desperately chasing ODF in the ISO standard category, and Google running circles around the company at every turn. Say what you will, but Microsoft doesn't innovate, and there's where Paul isn't worried. The only thing Microsoft can do is buy him out, but spend one day in Vista and you'll see how far Microsoft has gone astray. There's no excitement either at the company, with its employees (known now more for their daily defections than their acquisitions), and certainly not with any of its software. The only real new desktop application they've built in the last 12 years was OneNote, and OneNote 2007 took a couple of steps backward on usability (e.g., the autosave feature is a disaster). I could go on and on. Sure, Microsoft has enough cash to last another 50 years in some capacity.

Meanwhile open source continues its encroachment everywhere — from phones to servers to application software to the desktop OS.

2431

General Software Discussion / Re: Don't be fooled, Vista wants new hardware

« Last post by zridling on April 10, 2007, 12:24 AM »

Yep, me too. If UltraEdit and NewsLeecher had Linux versions, it'd be a lot easier. Sure, Crossover and Wine help, but it's not the same. I spend my day in UltraEdit. Meanwhile, in the background, I'm downloading crap day and night on Usenet and bittorrent. The great thing is that Linux continues to make persistent strides and more people use various Linux distros on the desktop than Apple's OS X, but you'd never know because that doesn't make the stockholders happy to know such a thing! Besides, computing ain't real unless you're doing it with only one mouse button.

2432

General Software Discussion / Re: To cut or not to cut - The lousy MS Office ribbon

« Last post by zridling on April 09, 2007, 11:50 PM »

I agree with JeffK that the ribbon in Excel is more helpful than Word. I truly hate the ribbon and during beta testing many of us begged and begged for more options, viz., that the huge ribbon be allowed to be docked on the side of the screen. That makes sense since most new monitors are what — widescreen! But the Microsoft Office team ignored most of our requests, and after a while we felt like we were talking to the wall. Their justification was to make it easier by REDUCING options, not increasing them. Thus the deemphasis of keyboard shortcuts. In many instances, they even added an extra key within every keyboard shortcut, which was insane to anyone who can type with both hands.

And don't get me started on backward compatibility. The MS-OOXML file format is compatible only with itself. Ironically, if you want complete compatibility with legacy Microsoft documents, along with the absense of any ribbonage, OpenOffice is the place to be, along with its fidelity to be both .doc and OASIS OpenDocument (ODF) format. One of the things the OpenOffice are considering for version 3.0 is the ability to dock toolbars on the side, and then you have something that increases your document space on a widescreen monitor instantly: a sidebar!

It's really not rocket science, but Microsoft must have gotten its usability advice from monkeys on crack for both Vista and Office 2007.

2433

General Software Discussion / Re: Vista Tips, or things you'll want to disable right away

« Last post by zridling on April 09, 2007, 07:58 PM »

Ha! I often do that with desktop backgrounds. I'll have a neat photo up there — usually of something naked — and then I ask, who's looking at this except me? Feh, just put it back to default blue. I'll take performance over beauty anyday, and thus one more attraction to Linux (although Freespire, Xandros, and Ubuntu are each quite elegant).

2434

General Software Discussion / Re: Don't be fooled, Vista wants new hardware

« Last post by zridling on April 09, 2007, 07:36 PM »

MrCrispy, you make the point I meant to. What Vista leaves me with is a feeling of great disappointment — YOU TOOK FIVE YEARS AND THIS IS ALL YOU CAME UP WITH? And when you read through my little Vista Tips post, you'll see how deep the Control Panel hole goes. I read a CNET critique of Vista and their biggest gripe was that they didn't put Search on the desktop — whaaa? (It's on the Ultimate version, but still just one click away in the Start menu for all other versions.)

Darwin, I've been pushing Linux on my blog. I'm dual-booting now, but hope to wean myself off Windows completely in three years, if not sooner. Hell, I could do it now, but I'm not ready. By 2008, that effort will be a lot easier to do with easier, systematic installation of applications coming along with an exponential leap in proprietary driver support. It's also not really difficult to dual-boot Vista with a Linux distro and access NTFS files on a Vista-formatted drive now. Also, THANKS for the Linux Equivalent Project link. How'd I miss that!

2435

General Software Discussion / Re: Vista Installation Tips, or things you'll want to disable right away

« Last post by zridling on April 09, 2007, 07:26 PM »

Almost all these tips are using Control Panel > Classic View. I didn't mention turning off Aero, as it's highly overrated, imo. To turn Aero off, go to:
— Control Panel > Personalization > Windows Color and Appearance > Appearance Settings > Color Scheme > select Basic, classic, et al.

2436

General Software Discussion / Vista Tips, or things you'll want to disable right away

« Last post by zridling on April 09, 2007, 07:19 PM »

There are already plenty of Vista tips online, but here's a few good sites to start with:

- ItsVista's 30 Vista Tips
- Installing and Tweaking Windows Vista Tweakhound.com
- Lifehacker: Windows Vista upgrade power tips
- Windows Vista Usability Tips Steve Sinchak
- Windows Connected Vista Tips Index
- Tim Sneath Vista Tip blog
- Tech-Recipes' Vista Tips
- TweakVista has several pages of specific Vista tips:
— Usability Tips
— UI Customizations
— Performance Tweaks
— Software Tweaks
— Security Tweaks
— Vista Downloads
— Various Vista Links


________________________________________________
TIP 1: Restore desktop background to XP default blue
Desktop Background color: (Control Panel > Personalization > Desktop Background > More...)
Red      0
Green      106
Blue      147

Hue      131
Sat      240
Lum      69
________________________________________________
TIP 2: Disable a few unused Services
— Go to Run, type services.msc, and disable:
   - Offline Files
   - Remote Registry
   - Tablet PC

— Also, go to Control Panel, Select 'Programs and Features' > Turn Windows Features On/Off
- Deselect all but:
   - Games (keep what you want)
   - .NET Framework
   - Print Services
   - Remote Differential Compression
   - Windows DFS Replication Service

— Start > Run > msconfig
- Deselect anything you don't want running on startup
________________________________________________
TIP 3: To Enable Readyboost on a USB Drive
— Start > Run > services.msc > Enable ReadyBoost
- Select the drive in Vista Explorer, right-click and select Properties > ReadyBoost Tab > Use this device
- OR go to Control Panel > Performance and Infomation Tools > Advanced Tools > Configure my Windows ReadyBoost device
________________________________________________
TIP 4: See what's slowing down Vista's startup speed
— Control Panel > Performance and Infomation Tools > Advanced Tools
________________________________________________
TIP 5: Reduce UI Visual overhead
— Control Panel > Performance and Infomation Tools > Adjust visual effects, custom tweak for best performance with these:
   - enable desktop composition
   - show shadows under menus
   - show windows contents while dragging
   - smooth edges of screen fonts
   - smooth-scroll list boxes
   - use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop
   - use visual styles on windows and buttons
________________________________________________
TIP 6: To Change the Default Option When Turning Off Computer
1. Control Panel > Power Options
2. Select a power management plan and then click on "Change Plan Settings."
3. Click on "Change advanced power settings."
4. In the Power Options dialog, expand "Power Buttons and Lid," and then expand "Start menu power button"
5. Click on "Setting" and then choose Shut Down.
________________________________________________
TIP 7: To Underline Keyboard Shortcuts
1. WIN+U, OR CONTROL PANEL
2. Ease of Access Center
3. Under Explore all settings, select: Make the keyboard easier to use.
4 Under Make It Easier To Use Keyboard Shortcuts, select: Underline keyboard shortcuts and access keys.
5. Select Save.
________________________________________________
TIP 8: To Reduce Vista's Huge Desktop Icons
— Simply CTRL+click on the desktop and scroll your mouse wheel to the size you want
________________________________________________
TIP 9: Turn off UAC (ultra-annoying control)
— Control Panel > Security Center > Other Security Settings > User Account Control > Turn Off
________________________________________________
TIP 10: Turn Off HD Indexing
— Control Panel > Indexing Options > Modify > Deselect drives
   - Control Panel > Indexing Options > Advanced > File Types, to merely select which types of files will be indexed.

2437

General Software Discussion / Re: Sumatra PDF Viewer is cool, thin, and open-source

« Last post by zridling on April 09, 2007, 06:05 PM »

Springro, if you're having rendering problems with Foxit, make sure you have the Microsoft GDI+ module installed. Also, I thought you had to pay an extra $39 to be able to save forms in Foxit with the Foxit Reader Pro Pack, but I'm wrong. Thanks for the tip!

2438

General Software Discussion / Re: Don't be fooled, Vista wants new hardware

« Last post by zridling on April 09, 2007, 05:57 PM »

About the only printers that HP submitted drivers for Vista (32 & 64-bit) were for its color Laserjets. Go figure. Their website now says they're working to get the rest out by July... maybe. Maybe users could do without printers, but no business could, which is very odd, since HP is the leading computer reseller these days — "Buy our new Vista-enabled computer, but the printer that comes with it is DOA." Oy.

Frankly, I just don't like Vista. Here's are three UI reasons that drive me nuts:

(1) Move/Replace dialog is huge and confusing:



(2) Save As dialog has no memory of its settings, no matter how you setup Vista Explorer:



(3) Vista Explorer is a garbled mess. This is as pretty as I can make it, and it's still useless:


(4) Finally, here's the Add Files dialog, which is self-defeating:


I could go on, but I posted another topic on things to disable right off the bat when installing Vista.

2439

General Software Discussion / Sumatra PDF Viewer is cool, thin, and open-source

« Last post by zridling on April 06, 2007, 07:24 PM »

Sumatra PDF Viewer is one very cool, lightweight PDF Viewer, and it’s open source.

             

If you’ve been using either Adobe Reader or Foxit PDF Reader over the years and you need only a PDF viewer, try Sumatra PDF. Minimalist features, but customizable where you want it to be.

2440

Living Room / Favorite Sci-fi movies?

« Last post by zridling on April 03, 2007, 11:55 PM »

I'd watch a bad sci-fi movie over just about any other genre. Here's my top five among others you gotta see. Share yours, as I'm needed new material.

• BladeRunner (1982)
  
• Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
  
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (hey, genetic engineering)
  
• Matrix I (1999)
  
• Soylent Green (1973)
  

And don’t forget three great/campy ones from the 50s (if you've ever watched Mystery Science Theater 3000, you've seen them all):

• This Island Earth (1955)
  
• 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)
  
• The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

2441

General Review Discussion / Re: quintura.com - super fast super easy web search

« Last post by zridling on April 03, 2007, 11:18 PM »

Okay, that's really cool, and really useful for a friend who's traveling abroad right now. Thanks!

2442

General Software Discussion / Re: Don't be fooled, Vista wants new hardware

« Last post by zridling on April 03, 2007, 10:15 PM »

Oh trust me, OS X has a lot going on, but for the video editing I was doing (or tried to), it didn't win me over. Unlike Vista, there is excitement in the Apple camp, that's for sure.

2443

General Software Discussion / Don't be fooled, Vista wants new hardware

« Last post by zridling on April 03, 2007, 09:57 PM »

It took me a while, but I finally made the plunge and replaced an older computer that I'll turn into a dedicated Linux machine. I even tried OS X for a couple of weeks and apparently I'm the only person left who wasn't really impressed. Customizing the software can mostly be done in a day, but <em>finishing</em> those customizations always takes me another week. As for Vista, it wants to eat whatever speed and power you can feed it, which means your next system should include nothing less than the following:

• Vista x64 version (among the several, Vista Business is the one I like best among Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate). Get the 64-bit OEM version for half price;
• Core 2 Duo (or Quad-core if you're rich) or AMD-64 chip with damn fast motherboard;
• Get a well-reviewed videocard, big and fast as crapzilla. You don't have to get the most expensive card, just the best one for the value;
• Buy a case you can easily add and remove components from. If not, start modding with lots of  big-assed fans;
• Buy a 22" monitor, or two. They cost between $280-$360 and are worth every penny. The 24" screens are great, but not worth the cost difference.

                         <img src="http://www.thegsblog.../computer-inside.jpg" />

Throw in a couple of 300G-1T HDs with it, and hey, you've got a system that will hold you for 3-4 years at the least, depending on how much multimedia/gaming you use it for. If you haven't bought Vista yet, good for you! In many ways, it's a stupid step-bitch of an OS, and Vista Explorer is the utmost idiotic mess you'll come across. The biggest difference between the 32-bit and 64-bit versions is bus speed, of course, but-that shows directly when copying or moving files. In Vista-32, it can be slow as hell; in Vista-64, you say "Oh yea." But you'll want the new OS with a new system, and an easy way to prep yourself is to <strong><a href="http://www.amazon.co...20&creative=9325">buy Windows Vista Inside Out</a></strong> by Ed Bott, Carl Siechert, and Craig Stinson for only $30 at Amazon. They show you how similar it is to XP and how different it is, and out of the eight Vista books I've read, it's the one I keep going back to.

Finally, don't ignore Linux. There are several very hot distros right now. Among them are <strong><a href="http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop">Ubuntu</a></strong>, <strong><a href="http://www.freespire.org/">Freespire</a></strong>, and <strong><a href="http://www.pclinuxos.com/news.php">PCLinuxOS</a></strong>. You can easily <strong><a href="http://desktoplinux....es/AT2094892904.html">dual-boot Vista</a></strong> (although Windows always wants to be the first OS), and with time, you might come to wean yourself from the Microsoft teat.

2444

Living Room / Re: YouPorn: Like YouTube, but with a triple x rating

« Last post by zridling on March 19, 2007, 11:58 PM »

Hey you never know where tomorrow's stars may come from! One of the greatest things about the internet is the fact that it privatized porn consumption.

I remember in the 70s paying a premium price to go to the "adult theater" to watch the classics. What a great way to spend my 18th birthday. Oddly, the fun stopped a few years later when one Thanksgiving I ducked out of the family gathering that evening to see the latest show and swore I heard my dad coughing in the back row! I left early, spotted the old man and tipped my hat to him. Never a word was said about that night, but heck, those were the days!

2445

General Software Discussion / Which programs have you found that do not work with Vista?

« Last post by zridling on March 19, 2007, 11:04 PM »

While driver support will continue to suck, what programs have you found that do not work or work well in Vista?



It's still way early, but I haven't found a tweaking program that works yet 

2446

General Software Discussion / Re: Ripoff Britain strikes again ... this time with Vista Pricing

« Last post by zridling on February 21, 2007, 06:17 PM »

I sent a copies of Vista to two people already from the US: one was in the Czech Republic and the other Norway. Costs about $4 for international shipping. If you want it, I'll help.

2447

General Software Discussion / Re: How much does Vista cost in your country?

« Last post by zridling on February 21, 2007, 03:07 PM »

At €700, I get the feeling that not a lot of people will upgrade... or want to. Just my two cents, but Vista isn't worth it. Hold out for Vienna, as XP does everything that Vista will do, only cheaper and faster.

2448

General Software Discussion / How much does Vista cost in your country?

« Last post by zridling on February 21, 2007, 02:27 PM »

Peter Herbert of Denmark alerted me to the high cost of Vista in his country this week (about $775!) and I'm curious to know, outside the US, How much does Vista (Ultimate) cost in your country?



Let us know, as I believe Microsoft is really screwing up over these prices, hurting Vista sales, and further luring users to consider making the move.

2449

Word Processor Roundup / Re: Find a link to the Word Processor Review? Post it here!

« Last post by zridling on February 21, 2007, 12:41 PM »

Simon Phipps of Sun Microsystems:
"Excellent and balanced reviews of the top three word-processors"

2450

Word Processor Roundup / Re: Find a link to the Word Processor Review? Post it here!

« Last post by zridling on February 21, 2007, 12:37 PM »

Peter Sefton's blog:
Balanced review of word processors? I don't think so.